New Delhi, India — Senior Indian Foreign Service officer Soumendu Kumar Bagchi, currently serving as India’s Ambassador to Iraq, has been appointed as India’s next Ambassador to Switzerland, the Ministry of External Affairs announced on August 17.
A 1993-batch IFS officer, Bagchi is expected to take up his new assignment in Bern shortly. His appointment comes after a diplomatic career spanning more than three decades, during which he has served in key Indian missions abroad and held several senior positions at the Ministry of External Affairs in New Delhi.
Bagchi will head India’s diplomatic mission in Switzerland at a time when bilateral relations encompass a wide range of areas, including trade and investment, technology, education, innovation and multilateral cooperation.
Who Is Soumendu Bagchi?
Soumendu Kumar Bagchi is a veteran career diplomat from the 1993 batch of the Indian Foreign Service. Over the course of his career, he has handled a broad range of diplomatic and foreign policy portfolios, including counter-terrorism, energy security, investment and technology promotion, regional groupings, and India’s relations with Southeast Asia and West Africa.
Before taking charge as India’s Ambassador to Iraq, Bagchi served as Deputy and Acting Director General of the Indian Council of World Affairs, a New Delhi-based foreign policy think tank.
His overseas assignments have included postings in Brussels, Dhaka and San Francisco, giving him extensive diplomatic experience across Europe, South Asia and the United States.
Bagchi’s appointment to Switzerland is expected to further strengthen India-Switzerland relations and deepen cooperation in areas of mutual strategic and economic interest.
